Michael McKee, the man charged in the deaths of his ex-wife and her husband in their Weinland Park home, has been indicted on aggravated murder and aggravated burglary charges by a Franklin County grand jury.
McKee, 39, was indicted on four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated burglary on Jan. 16.
Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, died on Dec. 30 after being found shot in their home on the 1400 block of North 4th Street in Weinland Park. The couple’s two children, both under the age of 5, were found physically unharmed inside the home.
On Jan. 10, Columbus police identified McKee, a Chicago resident, as a suspect in the deaths. He was arrested the same day in Illinois and is currently being held in the Winnebago County (Illinois) Sheriff’s office’s custody until he is extradited to Ohio.
Police identified McKee, who was previously married to Monique, after tracking a vehicle seen near the Tepe home shortly before the homicides took place and leaving shortly after. That vehicle was found in Illinois and McKee was found to have ownership of it, court records say.
While burglary is often associated with theft, the charge does not necessarily indicate McKee stole something from the residence or intended to do so. Under Ohio law, anyone who illegally enters a home with the intent to commit a crime commits burglary.
Court records show McKee is accused of using a silencer or an automatic firearm.
A court date for McKee has not been set.
When will Michael McKee come to Ohio to face charges?
McKee will remain in Illinois until transportation to Ohio is finalized. Columbus police said interstate transports typically are handled by a third-party company the division contracts with for that purpose.
Those transport companies have schedules and routes that must be coordinated, as well as multiple stops on each trip, police said. Based on Illinois court records, McKee’s transport to Ohio is likely to occur after Jan. 19.
McKee’s transport to Ohio is part of a legal process called extradition. When a person is arrested for a crime in another jurisdiction from where they are charged, either in-state or in another state, the process allows the agency that charged the defendant to come and get them.
Extradition hearings can be waived, as McKee did. At those hearings, a judge would determine whether the warrant and supporting paperwork for the defendant are valid and, if so, set a deadline for their transport.
In McKee’s case, a judge has set a hearing for Jan. 23 to determine the status of transporting him to Ohio. If McKee is already in Ohio at that point, the hearing will not take place.
What happens to McKee after he’s in Ohio?
When McKee is brought to Franklin County, he will be housed in the Franklin County jail. He will then appear in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, where a judge will set a bond.
McKee does not yet have an attorney listed as representing him in Ohio.
How are murder and aggravated murder different in Ohio law?
Ohio law separates homicide offenses into six primary charges: aggravated murder, murder, involuntary manslaughter, voluntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and negligent homicide.
The two most serious are aggravated murder and murder. Under Ohio law, murder is defined as purposefully causing a person’s death or causing a person’s death as a proximate result of – or a direct link to – committing another crime, typically felonious assault. Murder has a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years if there is a conviction.
Under Ohio law, there are several ways prosecutors can seek to prove aggravated murder. They include:
- Purposefully causing a death with prior calculation and design, often called premeditation
- Purposefully causing a death while committing another violent crime such as kidnapping or aggravated burglary
- Purposefully causing the death of a child under the age of 13
- Being under detention and causing the death of another person while in custody or after escaping from custody
- Purposefully causing the death of a law enforcement officer who is acting in their official capacity
- Purposefully causing the death of a first responder or military member who is known to be either and with the intent of killing a person in one of those groups
Ohio law allows judges to have sentencing options for aggravated murder. They include life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20, 25 or 30 years, life in prison with no possibility of parole and, in some specific circumstances, the death penalty.
The death penalty can only be sought by prosecutors under certain guidelines outlined under Ohio law that include the killing of multiple people, assassinating a government official and committing a murder for hire. Franklin County prosecutors have not sought the death penalty in any case since 2019.
Court filings associated with McKee’s indictment on Jan. 16 did not list any capital specifications, meaning the court records don’t currently indicate prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty.
News
Shocking Court Evidence: A 1,000+ page dossier presented by a jury member is now revealing how Kouri Richins allegedly carried out the crime — with the first 10 pages said to expose everything
A juror in the murder trial of Utah children’s book author Kouri Richins is speaking out for the first time, describing how the panel went from early sympathy to a unanimous guilty verdict in the fentanyl poisoning death of her husband. Richins, 35, now faces the possibility of spending the rest of her life in […]
A Massive 1,000+ Page Case File Presented in Court Is Now Shedding Light on Kouri Richins’ Alleged Actions — And the First 10 Pages Already Reveal Key Details
A juror in the murder trial of Utah children’s book author Kouri Richins is speaking out for the first time, describing how the panel went from early sympathy to a unanimous guilty verdict in the fentanyl poisoning death of her husband. Richins, 35, now faces the possibility of spending the rest of her life in […]
Unexpected Background: The missing U.S. college student in Barcelona is now revealed to have a famous grandfather back home
James “Jimmy” GraceyGia đình Gracey The body of 20-year-old James “Jimmy” Gracey, nephew of CNN senior producer David Gracey, has been found along a Barcelona beach, CNN is reporting. CNN was informed of the identification by a police spokesperson. The news network says that police don’t suspect foul play, and that the Gracey family has […]
Tearful Statement: James Gracey’s aunt has come forward, emotionally revealing what she claims is a hidden truth about who was responsible for his death in Barcelona
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown speak to Jimmy Gracey’s aunt as the family pleads for any information leading to the missing college student. Beth Marren O’Reilly says that Gracey’s father is in Barcelona working with authorities as the search continues.
Key Evidence Found: The wallet of college student James Gracey has been recovered in an unusual spot
Authorities said they found the wallet of James “Jimmy” Gracey floating in the water off the coast of Barcelona, Spain. The 20-year-old was last seen outside of Shoko, a club in Villa Olimpica area on the Barceloneta Beach, in an area popular with tourists, according to his family. On Thursday, police said they found Gracey’s […]
Breaking: The disappearance of University of Alabama student James Paul Gracey is now being investigated as a case involving possible criminal activity
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Police now suspect foul play in the disappearance of a University of Alabama student who has gone missing in Spain, according to local media covering the case. In an interview with CBS 42, Gisela Macedo, a reporter for El Periódico in Barcelona, said that the Mossos d’Esquadra police force have looked […]
End of content
No more pages to load
